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AQA A-Level Psychology > Research Methods > Flashcards

Research Methods Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the 4 types of Experimental Research Methods?

A

-Laboratory experiment
-Field experiment
-Natural experiment
-Quasi experiment

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2
Q

What are the 4 types of Non-Experimental Research Methods?

A

-Correlations
-Observations
-Interviews + Questionnaires
-Content analysis

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3
Q

What is a Closed Question and what are the Advantages and Disadvantages of them?

A

A question where the answer is selected from a limited set.
Quantitative data (e.g. number of yes vs no vs maybe)
+Allows easy ananlysis
-Might not be an acurate reflection of what people think

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4
Q

What is an Open Question and what are the Advantages and Disadvantages of them?

A

A question where the participant answers in their own words.
Qualitative data
+Allows participants to say what they want (rich data)
-Not easy to analyse

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5
Q

What is a Benefit of a Questionnaire?

A

Easily anonymous so more people do it, so more data.

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6
Q

What is an Experimental group?

A

The group that is going to get ‘messed with’.

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7
Q

What is a Control Group?

A

The group that is not going to get ‘messed with’.

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8
Q

What are Placebo/Inert Substances used for?

A

To remove bias (when needed).

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9
Q

What does Gaining Informed Consent involve?

A

The participant giving them written agreement to take part in the study and they fully understand what the study involves.

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10
Q

What does Protection of Participants refer to?

A

Researchers must make sure the participants are in no more physical and emotional harm than they would be in normal life.

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11
Q

What is the Right to Withdraw?

A

Participants have thr right to withdraw from the study at any point and the researcher must tell them they have this right.

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12
Q

When do we Debrief Participants?

A

-After the research is over. They should be able to discuss the procedure and the findings with the psychologist.
-They must also be given a general idea of what the researcher was investigating and why, and their part in the research.
-Debriefing should happen as soon and full as possible.
-The debriefing aims to provide information and help the participant leaved the experimental situation in the same frame of mind as they entered.

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13
Q

What is a Directional Hypothesis?

A

A directional hypothesis predicts the specific direction of the results.

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14
Q

What is a Non-Directional Hypothesis?

A

A non-directional hypothesis is where you just predict a difference or that one variable will affect another.

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15
Q

What is a Null Hypothesis?

A

-There is no significant relationship.
or
-That one variable will have no effect on another.
or
-There is no significant difference between the two sets of data.

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16
Q

What is the Independent Variable?

A

The variable which is manipulated

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17
Q

What is the Dependent Variable?

A

The variable which is measured.

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18
Q

What makes a True Experiment?

A

-Manipulation of the independent variable.
-Randomised allocation to groups.
-Control over variables.

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19
Q

What is a Laboratory Experiment?

A

-Take place in a controlled/artificial setting.
-Uses a standerdised procedure -> all participants in each condition follow the same procedure -> e.g. all participants in a condition are given exactly the same task -> e.g. Peterson and Peterson - same trigrams.
-Participants are aware that they are taking part in a study.
-Very high level of control over variables.

20
Q

What is a Field Experiment?

A

-Takes place outside of the laboratory in a natural/real life setting.
-Participants usually are not aware that they are participating in an experiment.
-Less control over variables.

21
Q

What is a Natural Experiment?

A

-Researcher does no directly manipulate an independent variable, instead they take advantage of naturaly occuring independent variables. -> The IV would be occuring regardless of the researcher.
-Typically used where manipulating the IV would be unethical or practically difficult.
-Natural experiments can be carried out in a lab or in a natural setting.
-Need to be very careful trying to draw casual conclusions because none of the three criteria for a true experiment are met.

22
Q

What is a Quasi Experiment?

A

-IV is naturally occuring because it is an existing difference between people (e.g. age or gender) -> this is what makes it different from natural experiments
-May occur in a laboratory or natural environment.
-Need to be careful drawing casual conclusions.

23
Q

What are the Advantages of Laboratory Experiments?

A

-There is a high level of control over variables (both the IV and extraneous/confounding variables).
-Use of technical equipment is possible in this setting.
-Replicability is high due to the use of standerised procedures, meaning it can be repeated by others to see if they get similar results.
-Providing the experiment is well designed it is possible to conclude cause and effect.

24
Q

What are the Disadvanatges of Laboratory Experiments?

A

-Artificiality -> the tasks in the experiment can sometimes lack mundane realism (this means that the experiment does not reflect everyday experiment) so participants may not behave naturally
-Participants are usually aware that they are being studied so could lead to them behaving less naturally.
-Experimenter bias -> the effect of an experimenter’s expectations on the results of the study (e.g. they may act different towards participants in the different conditions)
-Lack of ecological vailidity due to artificiality meaning findings may not be able to be generalised to other settings.
-Possibility of demand characteristics -> as the participants may try to make sense of the experiment and try help or fistort the results.
-Investigator effects -> participants may be influenced by the presence of the investigator, who they are and their behaviour etc.

25
Q

What are the Advantages of Field Experiments?

A

-Participants are often not aware that they are being studied, meaning their behavious might be more natural.
-Less artificial and usually has higher mundane realism (reflects everyday experience) and ecological validity (can be applied to other settings).

26
Q

What are the Disadvantages of Field Experiments?

A

-There is less control over possible extraneous/confounding variables (uncontrolled variables that could have an impact on the dependent variable). This can reduce internal validity (i.e. cannot be sure if the observed effect is due to the IV).
-Investigator effects.
-Experimenter bias.

27
Q

What are the Advantages of Natural Experiments?

A

-Allows research where the IV cannot be manipulated by the researcher for practical or ethical reasons.
-Enables researchers to study real problems such as effects of disasters on health and therefore has increased mundane realism and ecological validity.
-Participants are often not aware that they are being studied which could make their behaviour more natural (depending on the study).

28
Q

What are the Disadvantages of Natural Experiments?

A

-There is less control over extraneous/confounding variables.
-Cannot demonstrate casual relationships because the IV is not directly manipulated.
-Random allocation to conditions is not possible as the researcher is taking advantage of a naturally occuring IV meaning there is a lack of control so confounding variables may occur.
-Can only be used when conditions vary naturally.
-Investigator effects
-Experimenter bias.

29
Q

What are the Advantages of Quasi Experiments?

A

-Participants are often not aware that they are being studied which could make their behaviour more natural (depending on the study).
-Allows research where the IV cannot be manipulated by the researcher for practical or ethical reasons.
-Enables researchers to study real problems such as effects of disasters on health and therefore has increased mundane realism and ecological validity.

30
Q

What are the Disadvanatges of Quasi Experiments?

A

-Enables researchers to study real problems such as effects of disasters on health and therefore has increased mundane realism and ecological validity.
-There is less control over extraneous/confounding variables.
-Cannot demonstrate casual relationships because the IV is not directly manipulated.
-Random allocation to conditions is not possible as the researcher is taking advantage of a naturally occuring IV meaning there is a lack of control so confounding variables may occur.
-Investigator effects
-Experimenter bias.

31
Q

What are Demand Characteristics?

A

Cues that lead participants to guess the aim of the study/work out what the researcher expects to find (which may have an impact on their behaviour.

32
Q

What are Investigator Effects?

A

Something about the investigator (e.g. their behaviour, their presence, gender etc) that has an impact on the participants behaviour.

33
Q

What is Ecological Validity?

A

The extent to which the findings can be generalised to other settings (e.g. from a lab setting to a natural settings).

34
Q

What are Independent Groups?

A

Participants take part in one condition of the IV only. Participants are randomly allocated to one of the two (or more) seperate groups, e.g. one group does one condition (A) and the other group does the other condition (B).

35
Q

What are Matched Pairs?

A

Pairs of participants are created by matching them closely on specific criteria. One half of the pair participants in condition A, the other in condition B.

36
Q

What are Repeated Measures?

A

All participants take part in all conditions. This means that in effect the participant acts as their own control.

37
Q

What are Participant Variables?

A

This refers to the ways in which each participant varies from one another, and how this could affect the results, e.g. ability, anxiety, concentration etc.

38
Q

How can you deal with Order Effects?

A

Counterbalancing (alternating the order of conditions, ABBA design - half do AB, other half do BA), delay between conditions,use independent groups or matched pairs.

39
Q

What are the Advantages of the Independent Groups Design?

A

-It is possible to use the same stimulus materials for both/all conditions.
-There are no order effects.
-Reduced chance of demand characteristics.

40
Q

What are the Disadvantages of Independent Groups Design?

A

-Least effective design for controlling participant variables.
-More participants required for this design.

41
Q

What are the Advantages of the Matched Pairs Design?

A

-It is possible to use the same stimulus materials for both/all conditions.
-There are no order effects.
-Reduced chance of demand characteristics.
-Partially controls participant variables.

42
Q

What are the Disadvantages of the Matched Pairs Design?

A

-Difficult to match participants exactly.
-More participants required for this design
-Although reduced, some participant variables are still present because different participants are performing under different conditions.

43
Q

What are the Advantages of the Repeated Measures Design?

A

-Eliminated participant variables -> as the same individual has performed under both/all conditions, then the possibility of participant variables (e.g. differences in ability) between conditions has been removed.
-Fewer participants are required for this design.

44
Q

What are the Disadvantages of the Repeated Measures Design?

A

-Cannot use the same stimulus material in both conditions as this would result in order effects and demand characteristics.
-May not be able to complete the second conditiion immediately and therefore may lose participants between conditions.
-Increased chance of demand characteristics occurring -> as the participants may not be “naive” for the second condition and may try to guess the aim.
-Order effects -> participants’ performance in the second condition would be affected by the fact that they had already comleted the first condition.

45
Q

What is a Conceptual Variable?

A

-Theoretical concept or construct.
-> e.g. capacity of STM.

46
Q

What is an Operationalised Variable?

A

-Clear definition of what we will take as a measure of the conceptual variable so it can be manipulated or measured more correctly.
-> e.g. the number of digits (numbers or letters) correctly recalled in a free recall test (digit span).

AQA A-Level Psychology (8 decks)

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